Back at the end of August, when I was in Sligo for a short break, the days were long, languid, and warm. Now inky darkness descends at around five o’clock and there is a distinct autumnal chill in the air. I need to rummage through my scarf drawer, before I leave the house, for something to wrap around my neck as a bulwark against the cold.
Category Archives: Ireland
On the Trail of a Tweed Project Triangular Scarf.
Out West: Sligo
At the end of August I went on a short trip to Sligo on Ireland’s west coast – it was a super relaxing.
Killruddery House and Garden
In May when I visited the rare and special plant fair, held on the Killruddery estate, I made the impulsive decision to pay €70 for annual membership of Killruddery which gives me free access to the gardens .
Filed under Ireland
St Patrick’s Day
There are very, very few photographs on JAA that I didn’t take myself, however the image above of Brigid the Sheep reading a copy of the charmingly illustrated children’s book ‘This is Ireland’ by Miroslav Sasek is from Makers & Brothers (I have written about them here and here). I ‘borrowed’ the image, and I hope the brothers don’t mind, because I was totally smitten by it: heaven alone knows what that says about my inner psyche.
Filed under Celebrations, Ireland
Dublin: An Afternoon in Howth
There are a myriad of things that endear my native Dublin to me, including that it hugs the coast and that as it’s small nowhere in the city or county is very far distant from the sea.
Georgian Dublin: The Irish Landmark Trust
I remember when I first read about the Irish Landmark Trust, even thought I cannot recall when or in what publication I saw the article, thinking its existence a most excellent idea. The Irish Landmark Trust (from now on, for simplicity sake, referred to as the ILT) says its raison d’être is threefold: to save, share and sustain. The ILT’s website explains that it’s a: ‘ not for profit organization that saves interesting, unusual and architecturally important properties throughout the island of Ireland. To ensure these properties have a sustainable future, they are given a new lease of life as self-catering holiday homes’.
Good Value Eating out in Dublin: Fallon & Byrne Wine Cellar
A recent conversations I had with a friend set me thinking about eating out in Dublin: she had lately returned from a family holiday in Lisbon and was extolling the food-quality and value in restaurants in the Portuguese capital. Now, said conversation planted a seed of an idea that I might write the occasional post about restaurants, wine bars and cafés in Dublin where it is possible to eat reasonably well without paying a king’s ransom for the privilege.
Filed under Dublin, Food/Wine, Ireland, Restaurants/Cafés
Social Media and The Pigeon House (not)
It’s a funny old world in general and in particular it’s a funny old social media world. I doubt that on a macro level the full impact of social media in its multitudinous forms on our lives is anywhere near fully understood: on a micro level I don’t fully comprehend the impact of social media as I engage with it on my own life. Case in point: Dublin’s Pigeon House (not) and my *Instagram feed.
Dublin: UNESCO City of Literature and a New Stamp
When I walk Dublin’s grey-flecked flagstone pavements I am only dimly aware of the ghostly echo of the literary giants who once trod those selfsame routes. The roll call of the great and good of Irish writers of yore who have connections with Dublin is lengthy: Jonathan Swift, Oliver Goldsmith, Oscar Wilde, George Bernard Shaw, Samuel Beckett, W.B. Yeats, James Joyce …
Kindlestown Wood
If you go to the foodie destination, The Delgany, that I wrote about in the last blog post and if you over indulge in buttery croissants and if you feel the need to take some exercise afterwards the perfect spot to do so – Kindlestown Wood – is very close by.
Filed under Ireland, Sustainable/Green
Just Add Attitude 